


Midnight screening

by boleyn13



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avenger Loki, Cultural Differences, M/M, Movie Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6335533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boleyn13/pseuds/boleyn13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve just wants to take advantage of the empty tower and watch some movies. Then Loki shows up and Tony wants to know what happened and why Steve can't stop blushing</p>
            </blockquote>





	Midnight screening

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Just a short something, hope you enjoy :)

Steve had no idea how this had happened. This wasn’t the kind of thing he was used to deal with. All he could do at this point was to hope that the whole thing would resolve itself on its own. Captain America was supposed to face unpleasant things, to be a man of action, but in this case Steve just wanted to hide. Which was turning out quite difficult since the person he tried to avoid was living in the same building.

Sure, Steve was embarrassed by his own behaviour, but until now he hadn’t plucked up the courage to do anything about it. Super villains or natural disasters he could deal with, but this…

Shaking his head Steve continued to stare into his cereal bowl, hoping that he would find the answer to his problem there. Was it even a real problem? Steve wasn’t sure, but he definitely wasn’t used to this and no matter how little he liked to admit it… he had no clue what to do.

Acting like it never happened seemed like a good idea… Right, he’d start with that instantly.

Well, that was the plan, but Tony Stark had always had the ability to shake things up and sometimes Steve loathed him for that.

“Good morning, Stars and Stripes! How are you doing, Cap? You didn’t fuck up my tower while I was gone. Very nice of you. What? No waffles? What kind of breakfast is this if there are no waffles?”

Tony waltzed right into the kitchen as if… well, technically he did own the place, but the main kitchen was a common room, used by every single Avenger alike. Throwing his jacket carelessly onto the floor Tony took the seat opposite of Steve. A big smile was dominating his face and Steve started shifting uncomfortably in his chair when he spotted the not so small hickey on Tony’s neck. The universe simply hated him.

“Hello Tony. I ate pizza last night. There are still some leftovers in the fridge if you want some. No, forget that… pizza is not the best food for breakfast. You could…”

“Didn’t hear anything you said after the word ‘pizza’.”  Already back up on his feet Tony rummaged through the fridge and returned about three seconds later with two big slices of pizza. “Tasty.” Tony took a huge bite and somehow managed to keep chewing and talking at the same time. “So… did you throw a party while mommy and daddy were gone?”

Steve tried his best to not blush at this comment. This was just Tony’s usual banter, he didn’t know anything and there was definitely no blinking neon sign above his head that told Tony what had happened last night. Or was there?

All Steve had wanted was an evening all to himself to catch up on some things he had missed. Unimportant stuff, but things he still wanted to do. Was a simple movie marathon too much to ask for? When it came down to pop culture everybody was always trying to tell him what to watch and what to check out, but Steve usually got overwhelmed by all the titles and names they threw at him. So last night he had planned on having the living room and the huge TV all to himself and to watch whatever he felt like. Starting with the Fifties. 12 angry men. East of Eden. Rebel without a cause. Giant. He had heard so much talk about James Dean, he needed to check these films out. All about Eve. Strangers on a train. African Queen. The Seven Samurai. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Vertigo. Some like it hot. Ben-Hur.

Way too many for one night, but Steve had to start somewhere, right? Tony liked to tell him to skip the boring stuff and to start with action flicks from the 80ies, but Steve felt like he needed some more old-fashioned stuff in his life.

So that had been the plan. Eat pizza and apple pie and watch movies from the 50ies. Alone. Natasha and Clint were on a mission somewhere in Asia. Bruce was at some conference in Europe. Thor was off to spend some time with Jane Foster. Loki was in Asgard and Tony had been at some shiny event in Los Angeles.

“No, I wasn’t having a party, Tony and you know that.”

Sighing loudly Tony leaned back in his chair, shaking his head almost reproachfully. “Oh come on, I am so disappointed. You had the place all for yourself. Can’t let an opportunity like that pass… You should have done something amazing with it. Invite some people over and destroy the furniture. Go through Loki’s secret magic stash. Hide Natasha’s favourite knife. What the hell do I know? A party with blackjack and hookers or at least something a little bit nasty while everybody else is… Oh my fucking god! Holy shit!”

Tony almost dropped the slice of pizza he was holding and Steve suddenly felt very sick. This wasn’t good. “Huh?”

“Oh, don’t give me that innocent ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ Huh! The shade of your face puts every tomato to shame! The mice played while the cat was away! I want to know everything. Every single detail.” Suddenly Tony looked so eager Steve was wondering if there was a neon sign above his head after all.

His palms were already sweating and Steve knew that he was a bad actor. He was able to keep his calm facing an alien army or other lethal threats, but right now he felt like he couldn’t look Tony in the eyes. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Unfortunately that confirmed Tony’s suspicion that something had happened. Something he wanted to know about. “Come on, Steve! It’s so obvious. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. It can’t be as bad as the things I’m already coming up with.”

Despite himself Steve had to smile. “Yeah, I’m sure of that.”

“Ha! You just admitted that something happened! I’m all ears.”

Steve scowled, feeling stupid for being so easily fooled. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I have a private life, Tony which is none of your business.”

“Oh, you make this sound better and better! Come on, tell me. You don’t want me to ask Jarvis to show me the security footage, don’t you?”

Now Steve was cursing himself inwardly. How could this still be happening to him? He had completely forgotten about Jarvis. The realisation that he wouldn’t be able to keep this from Tony was bitter. Perhaps it would be better to just tell Tony. Steve had no choice anyway and… Tony had way more experience with this kind of stuff. Of course Steve wasn’t foolish enough to think that Tony could offer any help, but maybe talking about last night was going to keep him from going insane.

“Okay, if you insist… Jarvis, show me the footage from…”

“Wait, wait!” Sighing in defeat Steve shoved his bowl of cereal away and put both of his hands on the table. “Since there is no way to… you are not going to tell anybody about this. Promise me.”

“Fuck, Steve. You’re really making this interesting. Now I really wanna know.”

“Promise me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Cross my heart, hope to die. Now tell me!”

Tony was still way too eager for Steve’s taste, but now he felt the urge to get this off his chest anyway. Also he needed somebody to tell him what to do. Since this was Tony, Steve would probably end up doing the exact opposite. “Fine… so I was going to watch some movies…”

 ***

_This was going to be great. Steve had put on his favourite sweater and most comfortable pants and was now lying on the immense couch, his back propped up against three soft cushions. It was incredibly nice to have all this space to himself. On the couch table in front of him he had placed two pizza boxes and a few bottles of water and lemonade. This way he only had to get up if he wanted to head for the bathroom. Even Captain America needed a lazy day._

_“Jarvis, any suggestion which one would be the best movie to start?”_

_“That depends on your preferences, Captain Rogers. Genre. Actors. Maybe something funny for the start?”_

_“Yeah, I would like that.”_

_So Steve’s first movie was ‘Some like it hot’ with Marilyn Monroe._

_***_

“Wow… until now that story is really boring…” Tony looked at him with dull eyes and Steve felt the urge to snarl at him, but he knew better. “I would get to the point if you let me talk for longer than 30 seconds without complaining.”

Huffing Tony made a gesture that indicated Steve to continue talking.

 ***

_After this movie Steve could partly understand the myth of Miss Monroe, she had been indeed a talented and beautiful woman. Yet Steve decided to continue with something different. From one icon to another._

_Giant was an entertaining movie, but James Dean was acting a little bit too… cool for Steve’s taste. He couldn’t see the appeal. Maybe he wasn’t part of the target audience. Him and Elizabeth Taylor would make a nice couple though._

_About twenty minutes into the movie there was a scene where Elizabeth Taylor’s sister in law was riding a horse she couldn’t control, so she used her spurs on it. Even drawing blood._

_“This is cruel. What are you watching?”_

_Almost jumping out of his skin Steve turned around, completely off guard. Right next to the couch was Loki. Both arms crossed in front of his chest, watching the movie with mild interest. Where had he suddenly come from?_

_***_

“Yeah, I hate it when he does that! All that teleporting around… just because he thinks doors are stupid…” Tony rolled his eyes and Steve sighed for being interrupted again. “Wait… that means Loki is back from Asgard? Didn’t he say he would stay for at least another month?”

“That’s what I asked him too.”

“So?”

“Told me he was sick of the Asgardian idiots…”

Tony laughed at that. “Sounds familiar… so Loki showed up and ruined your movie night. Did he organize a party with blackjack and hookers? That isn’t a ruined night, Steve. That’s a fucking great night.”

“If you let me talk…”

“Fine, proceed.”

 ***

_“I see… you are enjoying this night without the annoying presence of the other Avengers. I understand that sentiment. I will leave you alone now.” Loki glanced another time at the screen before turning around and Steve released a silent sigh. Yes, he had been looking forward to this, but it felt rude to just let Loki leave. Especially since he had shown interest in the movie._

_Loki hardly ever talked during movie nights, so why not? Also Loki didn’t know anything about these movies or the time period they had been made in. Just like Steve. There would be no annoying comments or remarks that Steve didn’t get. “You can stay if you want to. I don’t mind. That movie is supposed to be a classic. I’m watching it for the first time…”_

_Turning his head Loki raised an eyebrow. “You are catching up on things you missed during your time in the ice, I suppose?”_

_“Kind of… I haven’t seen any of these movies yet and you haven’t either. If you want to…” Steve made an inviting gesture and Loki took another few seconds to think before he sat down next to Steve who offered him one of the cushions._

 ***

“Wow… what a letdown. Loki showed up and you couldn’t spend the whole evening watching porn from the fifties. Hey, that sucks, but it’s not such a big deal. I’m very disappointed, Steve. Not a good story.” Shaking his head Tony took another bite of pizza and Steve felt his face turning hot. “Nobody was watching porn!”

“That’s what I’m saying. Nobody was watching porn, because the horny Asgardian showed up. Lame story. No wait. That would be a good title for a porn film. Horny Asgardian. Yeah, that works. Definitely gay porn…”

“Could you please stop talking about porn!?”

Laughing softly Tony shook his head. “Nope, because your story sucks. You and Loki watched some movies and probably both of you had no idea what was going on. Because he is an alien and you are from the forties.”

This so wasn’t worth it. Sighing for the probably one hundredth times Steve shrugged and turned back to his cereal. “Fine… I’m not going to annoy you any longer with my stupid, boring story.”

Why was he almost feeling insulted? He should be glad that Tony was losing interest and didn’t believe that anything… out of the ordinary had happened like last night. After Loki had showed up… Nothing, right. Steve had decided that nothing had happened last night. Nothing at all.

“Okay, maybe I was acting a bit too quickly here… you want to tell me the rest of the story?”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up in confusion. “What? Why?”

“Because you’ve been staring at the spoon for about three minutes now and you obviously have no idea what to do with it. When Captain America forgets how to eat, you know shit is hitting the fan. Come on, I’ll be a nice now. No more interruptions.”

Of course Steve was going to regret this, but ignoring wasn’t going to work, he knew that. “Fine, but one single world and I’m…”

Tony made a demonstrative gesture as if he was zipping up his lips. Sadly enough that didn’t give Steve any confidence. “So we were watching the movie…”

 ***

_Well, Loki wasn’t interrupting nor commenting and originally Steve had thought that this would be good thing. He had chosen a night when nobody was home to do this, because he wanted to be able to concentrate completely on the films without somebody interrupting him every five seconds. Steve only noticed Loki’s presence when he directly looked at him. The Asgardian was completely silent, his eyes fixed on the screen and he didn’t make a single sound._

_Loki was the perfect guy to watch a movie with and it was freaking Steve out._

_Nobody stayed this quiet while watching a movie. Not the entire time. Steve at least expected him to chuckle every now or then or rather moan, because he thought the film was stupid. Nothing. This movie’s runtime was almost three hours, there had to be some kind of reaction._

_Or some sign that Loki wasn’t sleeping with his eyes open. Steve was pretty sure that he was capable of doing that._

_Steve shifted around, glanced at Loki, but nothing. That couldn’t be normal._

_By the time the credits were rolling Steve had spent more time watching Loki than the actual movie and the Asgardian still wasn’t moving a muscle or saying a word. Clearing his throat softly Steve turned his head to him. “Uhm… how did you like it?”_

_Of course he already knew that Loki hated it, but Steve wanted some kind of reaction._

_“I thought it was very enjoyable.”_

_Steve blinked in confusion, but Loki pretended not to notice. “It was about a thousand times more interesting than the movies Stark tells me to watch all the time.”_

_***_

“Fuck that horny Asgardian. I have great taste in movies!”

 ***

_Now that was new. Loki normally skipped movie night, because he wasn’t the most social person and Steve was okay with that. He didn’t know anything about Tony giving Loki advice on which movies to watch. “Tony told you which movies to watch?”_

_“He made some propositions. Told me it would help me to understand Midgardian culture better.” The words were filled with disdain and Steve wasn’t sure how to take that. “So… which ones did he tell you to see?”_

_“I didn’t bother to remember the names. They were all about explosions and one guy shooting an army of bad guys without gaining a single scratch on his body. I must admit why these stupid films are pleasing him so much, since they usually ignore the laws of physics and Stark always reacts sourly when I achieve the same result with magic…” Loki shrugged and Steve stifled a laugh. Tony’s love for 80s actions movies was nothing new and he indeed didn’t like it when Loki used magic to do things that shouldn’t be possible. Like teleporting, walking over water and other stuff Steve had stopped thinking about long ago._

_“Yeah… there are way less explosions in 1950’s cinema…”_

_“I noticed. The story was more character driven. Some of their actions weren’t comprehensible, but Midgardians often act strangely, so I believe it’s a believable representation.”_

_Steve raised both eyebrows, but his lips formed a little smile. Again. “We are strange?”_

_“Definitely.” Loki obviously thought it wasn’t necessary to further explain this statement and Steve accepted that. “Uhm… you want to watch another one?”_

_Judging by Loki’s face he was completely disinterested, but he still nodded. “Yes. I don’t see why not.”_

_***_

“Why are you raising your hand, Tony?”

“Because I’m afraid if I’m going to interrupt you, you’re going to stop telling the story, but I have a question.”

Wonderful, so now Tony was pretending that they were in school. “Fine… what do you want to ask?”

“When is something interesting going to happen?”

 ***

_This was strange. Steve had planned this evening to watch some movies. Alone. Catch up on things. Learn something about the first decade he had missed. Well, it was his own fault that Loki was here, he had invited him… because it would have been impolite to not ask him. Now Loki was present and Steve wasn’t watching the movie but him._

_At first Loki hadn’t showed any reaction at all, but now things had changed. Steve was fairly sure that Loki liked Hitchcock. His eyes were as attentive as always, but there was the slightest smile playing around Loki’s lips. Also he seemed more relaxed than before. He was causally leaning against the cushions, his head tilted to the side and Steve tried to remember if he had ever seen Loki in a position where his back wasn’t as straight as an arrow._

_Loki had little lines around his eyes when he smiled._

_“I know I am a sight to behold, but shouldn’t you be watching the movie, Captain?” Loki pointed this out without even looking at Steve and he was fine with that, because as soon as the words left Loki’s mouth, a bright flush covered Steve’s face._

_“Sorry… I was just wondering… do you have something similar to TV in Asgard?”_

_“No. We prefer the written word, but I have to admit that this medium has a lot of advantages and it’s quite entertaining... I guess you must be feeling familiar about this.”_

_Still not looking at him and Steve shifted around, kind of uncomfortable. “What do you mean?”_

_“I’ve read a lot about Midgardian history. Before the ice you lived during an era where nobody could afford a television and technology wasn’t advanced enough to create anything like this.” Loki gestured towards the huge flat screen TV that made you feel like you could jump right into it and join the characters on screen._

_Steve answered with a slightly embarrassed laugh. “Yeah, but I think I can deal with the TV quite well… Especially with Jarvis around… or Iron Man… no, the TV isn’t that much of a problem.”_

_“But Iron Man is?”_

_***_

“You know what? Fuck you! Fuck both of you guys! No matter what you talk about, in the end the conversation is always about how much Tony sucks.”

“Tony, that’s not what happened, but kudos to you. You made it through 2 minutes without interrupting me. I’m impressed.”

“Wow, you spent one evening with Loki and he’s already turned out into a mean person. Witchcraft! I’ll call the mob and they should bring their hayforks.”

“Can I continue now?”

“Sure, I’m enjoying this roast quite a lot.”

 ***

_“What? No. No, of course not. I don’t think there even is a problem… I’ve gotten used to everything by now… at least I think so… we should continue watching the movie…”_

_Steve couldn’t explain why he was feeling so uncomfortable now, but Loki didn’t seem to notice. Shrugging softly he turned back to the screen and didn’t look bothered at all that Steve had ended the conversation._

_Somehow that thought didn’t please Steve in the slightest. Then again, they were watching a movie… he should really stop trying to distract Loki from it. Steve hated talking during movies, but he couldn’t deny that conversation with Loki was suddenly surprisingly easy. “Is there a problem for you?... I mean is it hard for you to deal with… stuff on earth… it must be really different…”_

_Great job at keeping your mouth shut, Steve._

_Loki seemed decently surprised and he raised one eyebrow. Yet he gave a response. “Everything is a problem, Captain. As you’ve said – everything is different. Weather, customs, language, traditions, stereotypes, ideologies, beliefs, morals… doors.”_

_The last word confused Steve more than Loki’s frankness. “Doors?”_

_Screwing his face up Loki nodded. “I can’t stand them.”_

_“Why? Don’t you have doors in Asgard?”_

_“Of course we have doors. Every civilised culture has doors. Midgardian doorknobs aren’t designed to withstand Asgardian strength. Every time I have to remember touching it with great care so I don’t accidentally rip it off. Extremely annoying.”_

_An odd little detail and Steve couldn’t help but laugh. “I know that feeling… took me a while too to get used to it. Everything seems a bit… fragile.”_

_“That’s the best description of Midgard I have heard so far.”_

_Steve thought Loki was smiling, but in the dim light he couldn’t be quite sure._

_***_

“Hold on! This is getting creepy!”

Steve flinched and simply felt ridiculous when his heartbeat sped up. This wasn’t a life or death situation, Steve was merely embarrassed. Tony thought that this was weird and he hadn’t reached the bad part of the story yet. Bad… not really bad, but… strange? “What?”

Tony shook his head and pretended to be shaking. “Loki, the lord of darkness, smiling? Way too weird. I can’t deal with that.”

“Oh, shut up. I am not even finished yet.”

“Come on, speed it up a little bit. I am pretty sure my hair just turned grey.”

 ***

_By the end of the Hitchcock movie Steve felt the urgent need to stand up and move a little bit. Hopefully Loki wouldn’t want to discuss the ending, because Steve had no idea what the movie had been about._

_“I need a break… I’ve been sitting here for hours… and there is no more soda. I’m going to get some. You want something else to drink?”_

_Loki shook his head and made a lazy gesture with his hand. The empty bottle of soda just disappeared and there was a new one on the table. Steve’s eyes nearly popped out. “Wait a second… since when have you been able to do that?”_

_“Always.”_

_There was something wrong about this. “Didn’t you tell Tony that you couldn’t just make things appear when he wanted to eat French Fries from France to find out if they tasted better than American ones.”_

_“Yes, I lied.”_

_***_

“That Emo son of a bitch!”

 ***

_“My powers are too great and too precious to be used for such trivial things.” Loki casually shrugged his shoulders and Steve raised an eyebrow. “So why did you show me now?”_

_“Because I know you’d rather stand up and get something yourself than asking for it.”_

_That was so typically Loki and Steve was so honestly amused, he had to laugh. “So you’re saying – don’t get used to it.”_

_“Exactly… also I’ve just decided that you’re surprisingly good company when the others aren’t around.”_

_“Did you just… compliment me or… insult the others?”_

_Loki flashed him an ambiguous smile. “Both.”_

_Steve had no idea what to make of this, but it seemed to be easier to just go with the compliment. “Thank you… I guess.”_

_Sitting back down Steve poured himself a glass of soda and tried not to shift around when he felt Loki’s eyes on him. Only now he was realising that this was by far the most time he had spend in a room with Loki. And they were alone. Steve had to admit that it wasn’t uncomfortable… as long as Loki wasn’t insulting the others. “You… want to see another one?_

_Loki made a gesture that was probably supposed to say ‘Why not, but I don’t really care?’. “Any wishes?”_

_Loki repeated the gesture and Steve told Jarvis he’d liked to see Vertigo… Loki seemed to like Hitchcock after all. It had to be in the middle of the night by now… probably early morning and Steve had to admit that he was indeed getting tired. Just sitting around and watching movies was surprisingly strenuous. He was having a good time though and Loki’s presence wasn’t changing that. At all._

_Speaking of Loki… Steve could be wrong, but he seemed to be tired too. Or Steve wasn’t used to see Loki acting in a casual way. Loki had pulled his knees up to his chest, his head was leaning against the backrest and tilted to the side. Half of his face was covered by his hair. Only now Steve realised how long it had become… or had it always been like this? It was touching his shoulders and it looked perfect. Styling his hair was a thing that Steve didn’t know anything about, but even he could see that there had been put care into it. Completely straight, not a single wave to be seen. It was shiny and clean and it probably smelled good._

_Steve shook his head. Silly thoughts._

_Turning his attention back to the TV Steve made it through 20 minutes without glancing curiously at Loki. Steve noted in disbelief that he hadn’t changed his position the slightest bit. One of his eyes was still completely covered by his hair. That had to be so annoying. Could he even see anything this way?_

_Sighing softly Steve went back to ignore Loki, but it didn’t quite work out. Had he fallen asleep? No, the visible one of his green eyes was wide open and…_

_“How can you even see anything with your hair covering half your face?”_

_Chuckling softly Loki turned his head slowly to him, making the situation even worse. The grin on his lips showed that he clearly didn’t bother. “I can see perfectly fine, because I have my eyes on the screen. Unlike you.”_

_Steve could feel his face burning hot but he managed to keep his eyes fixed on Loki. “It’s driving me mad.”_

_“My hair is driving you mad?”_

_“Yes. No. It’s… Look, it’s distracting, because you can’t be seeing anything no matter where you are looking. Just do something about it.” He almost added a few words about how men were not supposed to have such long hair._

_Grinning amusedly Loki shrugged. “Now we can’t have Captain America going mad, right?”_

_Okay, not the hair, but this grin was driving him mad._

_Shifting lightly Loki reached up and pulled his hair back, tied it together in a loose bun. A strange sight, but definitely better. The way Loki looked at him was definitely challenging and… Steve had to admit kind of unsettling. A knot was forming in his stomach and Steve couldn’t stop looking at the single black strand that was still falling into Loki’s eyes. It was completely out of place. “Uhm… you missed a strand…”_

_Green eyes darted to it, then to Steve’s face. “I can’t say I mind…”_

_“You are just doing this to mess with me.”_

_The corners of Loki’s mouth twitched and he moved around, shifting closer. With a slow almost elegant movement Loki tilted his head towards Steve and he felt like frozen to this exact spot. “If it’s bothering you so terribly much… I guess you have to do something about it.”_

_Steve wasn’t sure what Loki meant or what to make of that playful tone in his voice. Loki didn’t move though, just kept looking at him and his lips formed that little smile. Steve didn’t know what to make of this either. He needed to do something, right?_

_Ignoring his unusual fast heartbeat Steve reached out, without hesitation but determined. Loki’s hair was indeed soft, but he had already known that. Careful not to do it too fast, so Loki wouldn’t laugh at him, Steve tugged the loose strand behind Loki’s ear. While doing so he realised how absurd this was, but didn’t manage to pull his hand back. Not when he wanted to know if the rest of his hair was just as soft. Steve’s fingers were sliding into Loki’s pulled back hair and it felt exactly the same. Rubbing another strand between his fingertips Steve studied the texture of it when Loki abruptly moved his head forward and pressed his lips to Steve’s._

_Steve froze in a state of shock, his heart skipping a beat and his mind didn’t have the time to catch up with what was happening to him. Loki’s lips were cool and they didn’t taste sweet, but rather fresh. Like mint. They were moving, kissing him playfully before seemingly about to pull away. Steve just followed the movement, instantly closing that tiny distance that had been opened up. Now it was him kissing Loki and the other one was eager to reciprocate. For a moment their lips brushed clumsily over each other, but then Loki tilted his head just the right way and made it so much better. A hand was placed in his neck, pulling him closer and Steve’s free hand settled on Loki’s waist to…_

_***_

“Uhm… Tony? Are you okay?”

The brunette definitely didn’t look okay. Tony’s eyes were impossibly wide and his mouth had dropped open. Steve wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought that Tony’s face normally wasn’t that pale.

“You alright?”

No reaction. For a second Steve was worried if Tony was still breathing. Then he saw him blinking and that counted as a sign of life. Actually, it was very refreshing to not be interrupted for once. Especially at this part of the story. Steve was already having trouble telling it without hiding his face in his cereal bowl. If he was lucky he could finish the story before Tony had regained his composure.

  _***_

_His heartbeat had evened out, but Steve’s entire body was tingling. It was so easy and so nice to not think about any of this. There simply was no need to. Somehow he found it strange that it wasn’t rushed, rather playful and so exquisite. Loki made a soft, content noise and Steve thought it was wonderful. Not wondering about how they had ended up in this situation Steve’s hands settled on Loki’s hips like this was where they were supposed to be. With the same attitude Loki moved forward, sliding smoothly into Steve’s lap. Steve reacted by teasingly licking over Loki’s lower lip and the kiss got a little deeper, but it was still so wonderfully unhurried and…_

_***_

“Hold on!” Screaming on top of his lungs Tony made desperate gestures with both of his hands and Steve flinched, although he was kind of relief. At least this was the reaction he had been expecting. Tony’s eyes were still incredibly wide and he looked strangely out of breath although he only been sitting there. “You and Loki fucked on my couch?! In my living room?!”

“What?! No, we…”

“High five! Cap, you are the man!” Steve had never seen a bigger grin on Tony’s face. “Best. Story. Ever! Kudos to you! Loki is a fucking nine out of ten, I’m impressed! We need to drink to that! No, wait. You can’t drink, you have to continue talking. I’m going to get myself a beer and you continue to tell me everything. Take your time, don’t leave anything out and I want details. Lots, lots, lots of details… I bet he’s a screamer…”

“Tony! We didn’t… there was no… that pretty much was already the whole story…” Why on Earth was Steve blushing now? Tony should be the one embarrassed for making such assumptions and for demanding to hear details. None of this was any of his business and Steve hadn’t told him what had happened to amuse him. Feeling embarrassed was completely stupid.

The glimmer left Tony’s eyes and he blinked at him in confusion. Then his entire face fell and Steve felt like he had disappointed him. “Wait, what? You didn’t do it? The guy let you brush his hair back! That’s the international code for ‘Please, screw my brains out!’. Didn’t you hear the part of your own story where you had him in your lap?! How could you possibly screw this up?!”

When had been the last time Steve had seen Tony so shocked? Probably never.

“I didn’t screw anything up… The kiss came completely out of nowhere and… I… it’s hard to explain something when I don’t understand it myself…”

“Yeah, I don’t understand it either how you can have a guy like Loki sitting on top of you and you don’t end up fucking him like it’s the last day on Earth… Wait, you didn’t go for it and now he is frustrated and wants to kill you! You want me to help you, but I have to tell you… I totally understand where Loki is coming from…” Tony made a thoughtful face and Steve had now definitely overcome the embarrassment. “Damn it, Tony! It’s not about sex! Now will you let me finish! I’m already regretting that I’ve told you about it…”

Nodding softly Tony leaned back and Steve tried to remember where… Right… the memory made him feel that soft tingle again…

 ***

_Steve wasn’t able to hold back a content sigh when Loki’s fingers brushed over his cheek and then played with the hairs in the back of his neck. Perhaps Steve was imagining it, but he thought he felt Loki smiling into the kiss. He did have a beautiful smile._

_Running his hands up Loki’s sides Steve gently tried to pull Loki closer and the other one gave into the soft pressure. Their chests were touching and Loki’s teeth grazed over Steve’s lip. Opening up beneath him Steve let Loki take control and the kiss got more intense, yet it was still so deliciously slow._

_Wanting to discover all of Loki’s reactions Steve caressed his back, trailing his fingers along the small patch of skin that wasn’t covered by his shirt. He could feel Loki gasp ever so softly, his breath was tickling Steve’s lips and he was taken by the sudden and unbearable desire to look at Loki. So Steve pulled back, still holding Loki close and it stunned him to see that Loki’s face was lightly flushed. Steve smiled when saw several strands of hair loosely hanging in his face and he couldn’t resist touching them. Loki let him, watching him with attentive green eyes until Steve pulled him in for a new kiss._

_Ever so slowly Steve got more and more familiar with Loki’s taste and the perfect way their mouths melted together. He learned that Loki liked to take control, but he liked it even more to be pushed back and to follow Steve’s lead. Steve’s fingers on his skin caused him to gasp, soft bites caused him to sigh. Steve also learned that he thought all of these sounds were lovely. What he also liked was Loki’s weight on him, feeling the warmth of his body and Steve loved touching his Loki’s hair._

_Unlike him Loki didn’t explore a lot. One of his hands was resting in the back of Steve’s neck and the other one on his shoulder. His full attention and concentration was focused on their kisses. Which just wouldn’t end and Steve didn’t mind. They could be doing this forever…_

_Or just until they separated for another moment to take a breath and Steve got a glimpse of the TV screen over Loki’s shoulder. The credits were rolling. They couldn’t have been kissing for over an hour, could they?_

_Oh god… he and Loki had been kissing for over an hour. Him and Loki. Kissing. Over an hour._

_“I guess… the sun is about to rise…” Steve was hoarse and it felt strange to be talking. Like waking up from a dream._

_Loki blinked and Steve didn’t miss the confused expression in his eyes. “We got indeed… carried away…”_

_Within these few seconds the absurdity of the situation was catching up to Steve. They had been watching some movies and they had started kissing, because Steve hadn’t been able to stop talking about Loki’s hair. And now Loki was still in his lap and Steve had no idea what to do now. What were you supposed to say in such a moment?_

_Thanks?_

_This was amazing?_

_My legs are soon going to be numb if you don’t get up?_

_Please don’t tell your brother?_

_I am sorry?_

_Steve shook his head and lowered his gaze a bit, now he didn’t quite make it anymore to look into these green eyes. “Maybe we should… try to get some sleep.”_

_“That sounds like a reasonable idea.” Just like that Loki’s hands were gone and he got off Steve’s lap. Biting his lip Steve discarded the thought that he was already missing his warmth._

_“Good night, Captain Rogers. Thank you for the nice evening.”_

_***_

“Wow… Now that’s just cold. Yeah, I know he didn’t get any sex, but calling you Captain Rogers after a making-out session is brutal. If he had called you Captain Rogers during making out… it would have been hot, but like this… nah.” Tony shook his head and for the first time he said something that Loki agreed with. Well, most of it.

“I shouldn’t have said that, right? About going to sleep…”

Tony answered with a chuckle. “Depends. If you decided that you had enough, it’s okay. If you want to get another taste… then yeah, that was a stupid idea.”

Steve knew it was mostly hopeless, but he had to talk about this with someone. To figure out what was going on. “Doing it again? Tony, I have no clue how it happened the first time… we just…”

“Fuck, Steve, stop being such a boy scout! You had a movie night and started to make out. Now you are at the level of a 15 year-old. Congratulations. If you liked it and want some more – go and get it. If not, act like it never happened like any decent person would. You were kissing, Cap, it’s not the end of the world and it doesn’t mean you’re engaged now.”

Rolling his eyes Steve mumbled under his breath what really bothered him. “I know that… but I didn’t just kiss anybody. It was Loki. He lives here. He is Thor’s brother. He is an ex-villain.”

Tony kept looking at him, seemingly waiting for him to say something else. What? “That’s all? He is also hot and he hasn’t blown up shit in months. Come on, Steve, have some fun. Or don’t if you don’t want to… It’s quite easy. Now excuse me, I’m going to get some shut-eye. Thanks for the story, I expect to hear the sequel when I’m back up.”

Tony left Steve alone and he didn’t feel any better. Still no idea what to do about this whole situation. Or was he indeed overthinking this and… god forbid, Tony might be right.

No matter from which angle he was looking at this problem – at the end he would have to talk to Loki. That wouldn’t end up being his most favourite conversation ever, Steve knew as much. Okay, Steve was a soldier, he needed a strategy. There was a good chance that Loki would be coming down for breakfast, since Thor wasn’t in the tower. Yet Steve couldn’t be sure. What if Loki had thought about what had happened last night and now was of the opinion that he never wanted to see Steve again, because he was a bad kisser? Okay, that was just ridiculous… They wouldn’t have been kissing for so long if Loki hadn’t liked it…

What if he liked it so much and wanted to continue right away? Next to the breakfast table? Without the TV? Rolling his eyes Steve wondered how villains with superpowers weren’t able to scare him, but some kisses did. With Loki. Did he still count as a villain with superpowers?

Damn, he was only trying to buy time.

“Uhm… Jarvis? Is Loki already awake?”

“Yes, he is, Captain Rogers. He’s been awake for several hours.”

Several hours? And he wouldn’t come down here? Was he upset? Or had the one hour kissing on the couch been enough for him? No more need to think about that? About Steve? When had Steve turned into a teenage girl?

“And… what has he been doing the entire time?”

“Mediating, Captain Rogers. At the moment he is reading.”

“Any signs he’ll come down for breakfast?”

“Not at the time. You want me to ask him about it?”

“NO! No… uhm… I think I will talk to him myself. Thank you, Jarvis.”

Sighing softly Steve straightened up and gave Tony’s words some thought. Pretending that nothing happened was out of the question for Steve. Unfortunately he still didn’t know what he wanted to do now. Sucking in a deep breath Steve got up on his feet and nodded to himself. Time to confront the problem. If it even was a problem… God, could he ever stop thinking so much?

Walking out of the kitchen Steve decided he would take the stairs, like this he would have a few more seconds and he would use this time to think.

He was dealing with Loki here and Steve was sure that he was a good guy at the core, but Steve had not a single clue how he might take rejection? Who was Steve kidding, Loki would take this badly… he had to try to be as nice as possible, but certain and determined.

I am sorry, last night was really nice, but…

Listen, Loki, I think you are really… nice, but…

You kiss really great, but…

Gritting his teeth Steve decided to scratch the word ‘but’ from his vocabulary.

We’ve been working towards becoming friend during the last couple of weeks and I think we’re doing pretty good so far… why ruining that? We should go back to that and… not watch movies together…

Well, that didn’t sound too bad. Loki would understand and if not, there was nothing Steve could do about it. That would be unfortunate, but Steve would be able to deal with it. At least Steve knew what he wanted to say now and it was important to be clear about this. No misunderstandings. Thank you, I have no idea how that happened, it was nice, let’s not do that again.

Yeah, all he needed to do was to convey that message. With a lot of respect.

Finally Steve was standing in front of the door to Loki’s room and this was the last chance to calm his nerves down. No, he was feeling good about himself and he repeated what he wanted to tell the other one. Nodding to himself Steve knocked on the door and he instantly heard two feet shuffling over the floor. The next second the door was being opened and Loki smiled teasingly at him. “Good morning, Captain.”

“Hey Loki… I wanted to talk to you because… we’ve been working towards…” Steve trailed off, his eyes travelling over Loki who was casually leaning against the doorframe, wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a dark green T-shirt. He indeed looked like he had been lying on his bed, reading for quite some time.

Loki’s black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but since he had been resting his head on a pillow and had probably moved around a bit, some loose strands had slipped from the hair tie. Now they were framing his face, making his green eyes stand out.

What had Steve been talking about? Oh, right…

“We’ve… Uhm… You want to watch some movies? Now?”

The smile got a bit bigger and Loki cocked his head, the hair was falling into his eyes and he was doing this on purpose. Steve didn’t care. At all.

“Sure. Come in.”

Steve didn’t say anything about the living room being a better choice to watch a movie than Loki’s bedroom, but entered the room and Loki closed the door behind him.


End file.
